Joplin Car Accident Lawyer Blog

Public knowledge about the dangers of drunk driving is greater than ever before. Unfortunately, as our Joplin car accident lawyers know all too well, there remain impaired drivers on our roads.

Last weekend in Joplin, a suspected drunk driver tried to run away from the scene of an accident, but he was chased down and detained until law enforcement arrived. According to Joplin Police Cpl. Chuck Niess, 21 year-old Erin M. Hyder was speeding down Pool Street on Saturday night when he collided with a parked vehicle and a utility pole. Hyder attempted to flee the scene on foot, but the owner of the parked vehicle was able to stop him, with the help of another witness.

Hyder's passenger, 37 year-old Robert Frazier, was injured in the accident. Hyder was arrested: he is currently facing charges of driving while intoxicated, driving with a suspended license, driving without insurance, careless driving, and improper display of license plates. He is also charged with leaving the scene of an injury accident - a felony offense here in Missouri.

Drunk Drivers & Car Accidents: The Statistics

• Nationwide, approximately 12,000 people die in drunk driving accidents every year, while about 900,000 people are arrested for drunk driving.

• About 300,000 (1/3 ) of these 900,000 drunk driving arrests are repeat offenders. What's more, according to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), the average impaired driver has driven drunk 80 times before his or her first arrest.

Continue reading "Drunk Driver Stopped by Witnesses After Trying to Flee the Scene of an Accident in Joplin, Missouri" »

Hit and run accidents are in the news on an almost daily basis. Our Joplin, Missouri car accident attorneys were astounded at the number of headlines, just from the last week:
"Deadly Hit and Run Driver Speaks"--June 8
"Pedestrian dies in Denver hit-and-run crash"--February 21

"Florida Highway Patrol seeks hit-and-run driver who fled fatal crash"--February 20

"Mother of 1-year-old killed in hit and run after getting out of her car"--February 20

"Hit-and-run driver drags man in Richmond"--February 20

"Missouri State Highway Patrol investigating hit-and-run on Highway 34"--February 16

These headlines come from all around the country, and in fact one Google search turned up many more than these. Whether the perpetrators of these crimes are drunk drivers, or people who simply panic, one thing is certain--responsibility for one's actions seems to be on the decline--which, accordingly, means that hit and run accidents are on the rise.

Between 1999 and 2001, the number of hit and runs jumped 19%. As if that wasn't bad enough, the rate of hit and run car accidents has been rising steadily since 2003. These auto accidents are not limited to vehicle against vehicle collisions: they just as frequently involve unsuspecting pedestrians who have literally no way of avoiding the accident or protecting themselves. One out of every 5 pedestrians killed die from a hit-and-run, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (NHTSA)

What is causing this hit and run epidemic? Our attorneys have heard various theories:

1. The economy is bad, and many people are driving without insurance, or without licenses. The AAA Foundation of Traffic Safety found that 21% of all fatal crashes from 1993-1999 involved drivers with no valid license. The study also found that unlicensed drivers are 66.36 times more likely to be a hit-and-run driver than a licensed driver.

No one actually knows how many unlicensed drivers are currently on the road nationwide, or even in Joplin, but the national numbers are estimated in the millions. This leads to the second possible reason:

Continue reading "Hit and Run Accidents Increasing Nationwide: Joplin, Missouri Not Spared " »

One of the first lessons a new driver learns is to watch out for pedestrians. However, our Joplin, Missouri car accident attorneys want to remind you that pedestrians aren't always children playing or people walking their dogs in residential neighborhoods. Sometimes, pedestrians turn up in unexpected places--like busy highways.

On February 10, a 27 year-old man was killed in Joplin after he exited his vehicle following a single-car accident. Seneca Mathews, of Miami, OK, exited westbound I-44 onto Highway 43 (Exit 4), and failed to negotiate the curve on the ramp. His car spun out, left the roadway, and came to rest in the grass median. Mathews was uninjured, so he left his vehicle and walked to the top of the ramp: Joplin police believe that he meant to walk to the nearby Petro Truck Stop and ask for help. But then, as he attempted to cross the road, he was struck by a pickup truck.

Mathews was pronounced dead at the scene. The driver of the pickup, 22 year-old Alan Pink of Joplin, was arrested for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. The Joplin Police Department is continuing to investigate the accident, according to Sergeant Rusty Rives: "At this point, what we'll do is try to gather up all our information," Rives said. "We'll try to locate witnesses, there's supposedly another person in the car. I believe we just found them. So we'll go back and interview all the witnesses and all the people involved and we'll try to recover data from the vehicles to trace their steps back throughout the night."

To read the Joplin Police Department's press release regarding this accident, click here.

Last November, the Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) launched the "Be Safe, Be Seen" campaign in response to the rising number of pedestrian fatalities statewide. For obvious reasons, car/pedestrian collisions almost always cause injuries and/or fatalities. According to the Missouri Highway Patrol, 25.4% of Missouri traffic accidents caused injury or death in 2010, while 91% of car/pedestrian collisions resulted in serious injury or death. Nationwide, about 16% of pedestrian fatalities occur on or near freeways.

Continue reading "Pedestrian Killed on I-44 in Joplin, Missouri; Driver Arrested on Suspicion of DWI" »

In 2010, more than 200 people were killed and nearly 1,000 more sustained serious injuries in car crashes involving a drunk driver in Joplin, Wheaton, and across Missouri, according to the Missouri Coalition for Roadway Safety.

Auto accidents involving drunk drivers differ from other car accidents because drunk driving is against the law, and causes accidents that would have been otherwise preventable. Also, accidents caused by drunk drivers often result in catastrophic injury or wrongful death.

Victims or family members of people injured or killed in Joplin, Missouri car accidents caused by drunk drivers may be able to seek compensation for their damages. In some cases, injured parties may even have a cause of action against the bar or restaurant that served the drunk driver before he got behind the wheel. Under Missouri statutes traditionally known as dram shop laws, these establishments can be held liable for over-serving already intoxicated customers, underage drinkers, and other patrons.

In short, Missouri Statute 537.053 states that a claim may be brought by or on behalf of any person who has suffered personal injury or death, against any person licensed to sell alcoholic beverages for consumption on the premises--if it can be shown that the seller knew (or should have known) that alcohol was served to a person under the age of twenty-one or to a visibly intoxicated person.

Continue reading "Joplin, Missouri "Dram Shop" Laws Give Additional Recourse To Victims Of Car Accidents And Wrongful Deaths Caused By Drunk Drivers" »

Joplin drunk driving accident lawyers are well aware of the problem drugged drivers pose on our roadways. Although driving under the influence of certain drugs can be as dangerous as driving while drunk, it is not as easy to determine when someone is impaired by drugs. Many drugs, both prescription and over the counter, have drowsiness as a side effect. Others impair reflex time, cause disorientation and/or distort depth perception. Illegal drugs can cause even more serious impairment issues. However, Joplin law enforcement officials have no equivalent to the "breathalyzer test" for drug users, and proving that drugs have been taken usually requires a blood test.

To address this issue, the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has devised a new policy, in conjunction with The White House Office of National Drug Control Policy's drugged driving summit. They are calling upon states to implement new strategies to address this escalating highway safety problem. GHSA recommends new programs which would increase detection, enforcement and prosecution of drugged drivers. (The GHSA represents the highway safety offices of all fifty states, the U.S. territories, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico.)

According to Barbara Harsha, GHSA's Executive Director, "Both state and national data indicate that drugged driving is a growing problem that demands more attention. The Association supports a broad approach to address this challenge. As with drunk driving, a strong national-state partnership is necessary to make progress."

How prevalent is drugged driving in Joplin, MO?

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) conducted a nationwide survey in 2007, revealing some 11 percent of daytime drivers and 14.4 percent of nighttime drivers testing positive for drugs of various types. This includes illegal, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.

Continue reading "Addressing the Problem of "Drugged Driving"-- A New Priority for Joplin, Missouri and Elsewhere" »

As Joplin drunk driving accident lawyers, we are always interested in new ways that various localities deal with the problem of drinking and driving. Texas (the deadliest state in the country for DWIs) tried an interesting experiment this past Fourth of July weekend. This particular holiday weekend is always reported as the deadliest holiday for drunk driving accidents and fatalities, not just in Texas but here in Joplin and the rest of Missouri as well.

This statewide initiative was called "no refusal." Basically, if anyone suspected of driving or boating while intoxicated refuses a breathalyzer test, they will have a "blood search warrant" issued against them, requiring them to have a blood test.

Apparently the first initiative of its kind in the entire country, over 200 Texas law enforcement agencies participated in no refusal. They are already calling this experiment a success. It is hoped that "no refusal" might become a model for deterring drinking and driving offenses in Texas--and even spread to the rest of the nation.

Said Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo, "We truly believe people make better choices on those weekends," referring to weekends this no refusal initiative is in place.In Austin, no vehicle related deaths were reported at all over the weekend. City officials pointed to that as a sign that the anti drunk driving initiative is having an effect.

Continue reading ""No Refusal" Weekend Declared a Success, Dramatically Reducing Drunk Driving" »

Recently released statistics, from the National Safety Council (NSC), estimate the number of traffic accidents for the upcoming Memorial Day holiday weekend. The holiday weekend typically begins at 6 p.m. on Friday, May 27, and concludes at 11:59 p.m. on Monday, May 30. The (NSC) predicts that more than 400 traffic deaths, and roughly 39,400 injuries will happen over this upcoming summer kick-off weekend.

Motorists will be at increased risk of car accidents in Joplin, Neosho and elsewhere in Missouri.

Our Joplin car accident attorneys ask that everyone practice safe and alert driving habits during this upcoming holiday weekend. We recognize the statistics from the last six years and understand that this holiday weekend averages 12 percent more traffic fatalities than any non-holiday period. The increase in travel may be a large contributor to this increase, so those venturing out this holiday weekend are encouraged to be cautious behind the wheel.

The NSC believes that more than 300 people may survive this Memorial Day weekend because of seat belt use. They also believe another 103 lives could be saved if everyone wore their seat belt.

"Even when you drive carefully, you can't always prevent being in a crash," said MoDOT Director of Operations Don Hillis. "But you can always wear your seatbelt and cut your risk of dying in a serious crash in half."

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will be running its "Click It or Ticket" campaign for the entire holiday weekend and well into June. "Click It or Ticket" has been proven to be the most successful seat belt enforcement campaign as it has contributed to the highest national seat belt usage rate -- nearly 90 percent. Law enforcement agencies will be enacting their zero-tolerance enforcement of seat belt laws nationwide throughout the campaign.

The Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) offers driver these tips to help keep them safe on our roadways through this Memorial Day holiday weekend:

-Be sure to always wear your seat belt. They save lives.

-Do not speed. Abide by all posted speed limit signs and adjust to weather conditions.

-Do not drink and drive. Any and all types of impairment is unacceptable behind the wheel.

-Plan your trip before you set out. This will help to eliminate confusion while driving and navigating to your destination.

-Make sure you're well rested before your trip. Alternate drivers if you feel fatigued.

-Pay attention behind the wheel. Stay alert and place all your attention on the road.

-Remember to be patient and courteous. Driving when you're relaxed and calm will help to avoid reckless moves.

"We urge motorists to be patient and careful this (Memorial Day holiday) weekend and all summer." Hillis said. "We know there will be some inconvenience and delays, but the work we do this summer will mean years of smoother, safer roads."

Continue reading "NSC Predicts Heightened Risks for Car Accidents in Joplin and Elsewhere this Memorial Day Holiday Weekend" »